


all's fair in love and war

by salrob (hanbrough)



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Politics, Rivalry, colloquially and affectionately known as discussion board au on twt, lots of movie and song references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:08:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24399277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanbrough/pseuds/salrob
Summary: Ricky Bowen and Nini Salazar-Roberts will have you know that they are both strongly opinionated people, thank you very much. The lengths they'll go to fight for what they believe in is....admirable. Throw an online discussion board (and some music and film recs) into the mix, and, well....--or, ricky and nini are friends irl but enemies in an online discussion board for class. it's just that neither of them have any idea that the person they've been fighting this whole time is each other.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 16
Kudos: 87





	all's fair in love and war

**Author's Note:**

> -please suspend your disbelief that they wouldn't figure out each other's identities :D it's explained later, but ricky's screen name is wright bc his last name is bowen-wright in this fic. nini goes by Nini Salazar on all socials.  
> -also suspend your disbelief that the course is one that takes place over the whole year (college courses are usually semester/quarter based)  
> -gina and ashlyn are not friends with rini in this, and ej and ashlyn are once again not cousins, so they have no idea that richard and nina are ricky and nini, respectively  
> -thanks to sabrina aka @alovelylilt for supplying some of the prompts in the discussion board. ily  
> -for each gov topic both nini and ricky's sides will have merit. neither of their viewpoints will ever stray into conservative / neoliberal territory since i won't allow it <3 but also v sorry to get into politics in a mickey mouse fanfic
> 
> -the way i had nini say "taylor swift's songwriting abilities are literally unparalleled" and olivia rodrigo says that nearly verbatim in an interview that was posted the day after i wrote that line. OUR MINDS

_Welcome to 35-241: Advanced Government and Politics! As an online discussion-based class, you’ll be expected to participate frequently to maintain your grade._

_Each week, you’ll be given a prompt to discuss with your classmates. Make sure to cite your sources, and reply at least two times to get credit._

_The first prompt is: In your opinion, does the Constitution still “work” as our governing document? Why or why not?_

**_Nina Salazar-Roberts:_ ** _In my opinion, the Constitution does not, and has never, worked as our governing document. Consider that several amendments, such as the second amendment, are outdated. So many Americans blindly attach themselves to gun ownership because it’s “in the Constitution,” despite the fact that modern guns are much more dangerous than originally imagined. As a result, the number of shootings in America is drastically higher than other developed countries._

**_Richard Wright_ :** _This argument is more of a criticism of American mindsets rather than the Constitution itself. Recall that Congress can vote on amendments to add to the Constitution in order to make it more progressive and relevant to modern society. The Constitution as a whole is relatively apolitical in terms of ideology, and has helped us build a society that’s lasted for almost 300 years._

**_Nina Salazar-Roberts_ :** _Yes, I do recall that we can add amendments, Richard. I did, in fact, take AP government. But the problem still remains that there aren’t enough Americans who agree on basic things like human rights and feminism. And the points I mentioned before, like the unusually high amount of shootings, (can you not read?), are still, objectively, reflective of the many problems in American society._

**_Richard Wright:_ ** _Pretty sure you're the one who can't read because the discussion is about the Constitution itself. Not Americans, not Congress, the actual document. Also, I never said the shootings weren’t a problem. stop putting words in my mouth :D_

_(View 100+ more replies)_

\--

The first time they meet, Nini’s pretty sure she’ll never see him around again. Late to the activities fair, she’s hurrying as fast as she can while balancing the giant poster board advertising the film club in her arms when she bumps into something - or rather, someone - and is sent tumbling to the ground. 

“Are you okay?” Concerned hazel eyes peer down at her as Nini groans, rubbing her forehead. “That looked like it hurt.”

“I’m fine,” she mutters, pushing herself off the ground. Looking down, she’s dismayed to see that her fall has caused some of the pictures to detach from the poster, scattered on the floor. “Oh, shit.”

“Here,” the boy says, pulling two glue sticks out of his pocket. “Let me help.”

“Do you always carry a pair of glue sticks everywhere you go?” Nini raises an eyebrow at him, and he laughs.

“I’m headed to the activities fair, too,” he says. “The posters always need last-minute fixes.”

“Oh.” Nini takes a glue stick from his outstretched hand and pops open the lid. “Which club are you in?”

“A capella,” The boy replies, spreading glue around the back of a photo. 

“What, like from _Pitch Perfect_?”

“Is that judgment I hear from a film nerd?” the boy shoots back. 

Nini laughs. “Touche.”

They pass the next five minutes in relative silence, aside from the boy passing Nini photos to stick on the board. Finally, they step back, satisfied.

“Thanks,” Nini says gratefully. “You just saved our butts.”

“No problem,” the boy says, grinning wryly. “If you have some downtime, you should stop by. Table 47.”

“Sure,” Nini nods, only to be whisked away by Carlos and his _Thank god you’re here, where were you??? We have signups to deal with Nini, and no photos to show for it!_ When she turns back around, the boy is gone.

It’s only hours afterward, when the tables are being taken down and Nini volunteers to take the poster back to the supply closet, where it will remain until next semester’s fair, that she realizes she never even bothered to catch the boy’s name.

Too bad, she thinks. He was kind of cute.

\--

_This week’s prompt is going to be more light-hearted - maybe a little less relevant to GovPol as a whole, but more fun. What is one of your favorite pieces of media (book, film, TV show) that tackles a government-related issue? What issue does it discuss?_

**_Richard Wright:_** _One of my favorite politically-aligned films is Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It was released around the time of Edward Snowden, and goes into a little bit about personal freedom vs national security. In the movie, Hydra gains access to people’s personal information and uses an algorithm to determine if, based on certain factors, people are a threat. Since Hydra is a terrorist organization, their algorithm would obviously be inaccurate and a threat that Captain America must stop before they kill millions of innocent people._

**_Nina Salazar-Roberts_ : ** _No wonder your opinions are dumb - you’re basing them off Marvel movies. Nice. I can clown you on that alone for the rest of this discussion. anyways watch the west wing_

**_Richard Wright_ : ** _News flash I CAN IN FACT ENJOY a movie for reasons other than its political undertones. I was just summarizing it to show that it goes into a relevant issue. I’m honestly not even really a Marvel fan I just like that movie for personal reasons. How’d you ruin a prompt that was supposed to be fun_

**_Nina Salazar-Roberts:_ ** _no more Marvel movies❌❌society has progressed beyond the need for Marvel movies❌❌_

_(View 100+ more replies)_

**_Ashlyn Caswell_ : ** _….here we go again._

\--

The second time they meet, in the hallway of EJ’s apartment, Nini can’t believe her eyes. By the surprised look on his face, she knows she’s not alone. 

“I...I was looking for EJ,” she says. “Do I have the wrong address?”

“No, he’s my roommate,” the boy responds. “I’m Ricky.”

“Nini.” Clasping hands, they shake.

“Want to come in?” Ricky inches the door open, the smell of coffee wafting through. “You can wait for him inside.”

“Oh,” Nini says. “Sure.”

She follows Ricky into the kitchen, where an iPhone dock sits on the counter, blasting some cheery, upbeat music. Nini can’t help but dance to the beat, and Ricky laughs.

“Is this for your a cappella group?” she asks, gesturing to the speaker as she takes a seat by the counter. “It’s catchy.”

“Sure is,” Ricky says, placing a freshly brewed cup of coffee in front of her. 

“What’s the song called?” Nini takes a sip, and winces when the heat burns her tongue. 

“Careful,” Ricky warns. “And I’ll tell you, if you tell me what movie you’re holding in your hand.”

Surprised, Nini looks down at the DVD case in her grip; she’d almost forgotten the reason why she had come by in the first place. She laughs. “Is that how it is?”

Ricky grins. “That’s how it is.”

Nini opens her mouth to speak when the door opens again. This time, a more familiar figure walks in, brightening at the sight of her.

“EJ!” Nini exclaims, getting up to greet her boyfriend.

“Hey, babe,” he smiles, placing a kiss on her head and then spotting his roommate. “Oh! You’ve met Ricky.”

“Yeah,” Ricky says, with a smile, Nini notices, that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Your girlfriend is great, man.”

“Good timing, EJ,” Nini says, holding up the DVD case. “I managed to get the last copy of Okja at the library.”

EJ’s grin widens. “Just in time for tonight’s screening! You’re the best, Neens.” 

“I have to get to work, but I’ll see you tonight, okay?” Nini places her hand on EJ’s cheek. “Love you.”

EJ flirtatiously blows her a kiss before padding off to his room, and Nini turns to leave when she’s interrupted by a cough.

“The song’s called Brooklyn in the Summer,” Ricky clears his throat from where he’s perched on the counter. “Just so you know.” 

Nini raises an eyebrow, and that’s how it starts. 

\--

_This week’s prompt is: Is force a good tool of diplomacy? Why or why not?_

**_Nina Salazar-Roberts_ :** _Force is never a good use of diplomacy. For example, the US military has done a lot of damage with their interference in foreign countries, particularly the Middle East. A lot of innocent lives have been lost in war zones, and overall it’s a threat to international security._

**_Richard Wright:_** _I wouldn’t say never, Nina. Sure, the military has done a lot of unnecessary damage, but sometimes, force is necessary. For example, in Rwanda, the UN troops did not have a mandate to use violence, so they had to stand by and watch the genocide happen. In World War II, millions more Jewish people (and other minorities) would have perished under Hitler’s regime if the US and Europe hadn’t sent in troops. The modern day military may be problematic in many ways, but there are certainly situations in which force is necessary._

**_Nina Salazar-Roberts:_** _All your examples are outdated. We’re talking about now. The 21st century. And right now, countries of color are more disproportionately affected by military force than us. Most Americans don’t have to worry about their homes being bombed, but people overseas do._

**_Richard Wright_ :** _Again, if you'd just take a second to read the prompt, it says nothing about the time period. It’s just asking if force is a good tool, which it is. Yeah, you can use it in a bad way (and we should definitely try to limit that), but the option itself is good. keep going off about a point i didn't even disagree with tho it's cute_

_(View 100+ more replies)_

_**Gina Porter** : how does this keep happening _

\--

“What’s the song rec for today?” Nini slides into the empty seat beside Ricky, and pokes him when he doesn’t immediately respond. “Ricky?”

“Huh? What?” Ricky jumps, knocking out of his reverie. His eyebrows furrow when he sees Nini. “When did you get here?”

“Just now?” Nini responds, confused. “Seriously, are you okay?”

“I'm fine,” Ricky shakes his head, clearing himself out of his haze. “Just feeling annoyed about people who can't keep their mouths shut, that's all.”

“Tell me about it.” Nini thinks back to the infuriating boy in her online government and politics class, the one she’s been arguing back and forth with for a month now. They'd gotten into an especially heated discussion today about the merits of the carrot-and-stick approach in government, which had culminated in him telling her that all her opinions were stupid. “What’s today’s song?”

“Say, by Ruel,” Ricky replies, and Nini hums in acknowledgment, typing it into her Spotify playlist to save.

“Hey,” she looks up, “how do you know all these artists, anyway? What if one day you were to just, like, recommend a Taylor Swift song?”

“Taylor Swift?” Ricky’s nose wrinkles.

“Don’t you dare tell me you don’t like her, Ricky!” Nini exclaims. “Her songwriting abilities are literally unparalleled.”

“Maybe for her old stuff, yeah,” Ricky counters, “but anything past 1989? I don’t think so.”

“So you’re one of those people, huh?” Nini clicks her tongue in disapproval. “Tragic.”

They spend the next half hour arguing about Taylor Swift’s talent - “Listen to Death by a Thousand Cuts or New Year’s Day and tell me her writing isn’t amazing”, “Sorry, I don’t listen to albums with the same two chord progressions” - before the irritated librarian kicks them out. 

Nini grins as they walk out, swinging her backpack over her shoulders. “That was fun. Even if everything you said was wrong.”

Ricky rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. “Whatever.”

If Nini’s stomach flutters at the sight of his smile, full of mirth, well, she can easily just dismiss it as a case of the stomach bug.

\--

“So which Spider-man movie do you think is the best, dear listeners?” Ricky speaks into the mic. “Call in now.” 

The first call comes in quickly, after Big Red’s finished setting up the audio. Without looking at the caller ID, Ricky picks up. “Hey, what are your thoughts?”

“I have an honest and correct opinion, oh great one,” Ricky can’t help but grin at the voice on the other end. “And it’s Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse.”

It’s an argument they’ve had several times before; in fact it’s the reason Ricky’s even moved the discussion on air in the first place.

“Yes, that’s a good one,” he says dismissively. “I’m not denying it. But nothing tops the first Sam Raimi Spider-man movie.” 

_you can’t just call in and tell everyone your side_ , Ricky texts discreetly under the table, _that’s cheating._

_you never said that was a rule ;)_ Nini’s response comes in immediately.

“Now that’s just simply not true.” Over the phone, Nini’s teasing voice rings. “Let it be known to all your listeners that Ricky Bowen, famed campus radio personality, has no taste whatsoever.”

“Damn,” Big Red mouths on the other side of the glass. Ricky sticks his tongue out at him. 

The phone calls don’t stop coming in after that. While several listeners call in to express their genuine viewpoints, there are a handful who want to know who the firecracker of a girl the first caller had been. 

_If only you knew,_ Ricky thinks. His heart skips a beat, but then the next person is calling, and the moment is gone.

\--

_No prompt this week except to enjoy the holidays. See you next year!_

**_Nina Salazar-Roberts_ :** _Happy holidays to everyone except Richard._

**_Richard Wright_ :** _Cute. Anyways I hope everyone drinks lots of water, spends time with family and friends, and gets some relaxation. Except Nina because she’s allergic to fun._

**_Ashlyn Caswell:_ ** _…..how did Nina and Richard manage to start an argument from literally nothing_

\--

  
In the blink of an eye, fall shifts to winter, and no sooner than the last final of the semester comes winter break. EJ hauls a massive suitcase out the door, and with a single wave, disappears down the hall. 

“Any plans for the holidays?” Nini turns to Ricky after EJ’s gone. Her moms have gone on a well-deserved vacation, so she’s staying on campus by herself for the whole month. 

Ricky’s mouth twitches ever so slightly, and if Nini didn’t know her friend’s mannerisms so well by now she might’ve missed it. But she doesn’t, and she raises her eyebrows in concern.

“You okay?” she asks, placing a gentle hand on Ricky’s shoulder.

Ricky snorts. “Just peachy.”

“Hey,” Nini takes a seat next to Ricky on his threadbare couch. “What’s wrong?”

Ricky shrugs. “Nothing. Just staying here for break, that’s all.”

“Oh?” Nini questions; last she checked, he had been excitedly talking about going skiing with his parents. “What happened?”

Ricky laughs bitterly, running a hand through his hair. “Todd happened, that’s what. I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“Okay,” Nini says, because she respects his wishes, but Ricky looks so sad she can hardly bear it. After a few moments of silence, she stands up.

“Hey,” she says, “we’ve got a whole month to do as many fun things as we can." She holds out her hand expectantly. "Coming? There's no time to waste.”

Ricky hesitates, just for a moment, before taking her hand. "Okay."

"Ha!" Nini moves away, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. "I've tricked you into checking everything off my winter break bucket list!"

Ricky covers his smile with the sleeve of his jacket.

\--

**_Nina Salazar-Roberts_ :** _Actually I’m too happy to hate on Richard right now so have a good Christmas, dude._

**_Richard Wright_ :** _ >:) _

**_Nina Salazar-Roberts_ :** _...don’t tempt me richard_

\--

It’s Christmas Eve, and Nini is over at Ricky’s place (again!) helping him hang up the last of the decorations on the tree they had only remembered to get the day before. She’s got gingerbread cookies in the oven, and Christmas music playing on the speaker.

“Okay,” Nini says after surveying the tree from all angles, before finally nodding in approval. “What’s your favorite Christmas song?”

“It’s gotta be either Last Christmas or All I Want For Christmas Is You,” Ricky tells her. “What’s your favorite Christmas movie?”

Nini grins. “Home Alone.”

Ricky raises an eyebrow. “Does that really qualify as a Christmas movie? It’s more like a movie that just takes place during Christmas.”

“Of course it’s a Christmas movie!” Nini argues. “Kevin McAllister uses the Christmas ornaments to stop Marvin and Harry. Christmas is _integral_ to this movie.”

“Sure, but couldn’t he have used other things around the house?” Ricky counters. “Set it during the summer, and it would work just as well.”

“No,” Nini insists. “It is _the_ quintessential Christmas movie. And," she adds, "like it or not, you're watching it with me.”

Ricky laughs, but makes no further argument, and a perfectly happy evening passes with the two of them buried under the blankets, laughing at Kevin McAllister's hijinks. 

\--

“Are you still up?”

Nini shifts in her sleeping bag to look at Ricky, who’s staring at the ceiling in silence.

“Ricky?” she prods gently.

Ricky startles, as if he’s forgotten where they are. “What?”

“What’s going on, really?” Nini asks. “You’ve been moody all break.”

“Nothing.” Ricky responds too quickly for comfort. Nini sighs.

“Ricky,” she tries again, “you can tell me.”

A brief silence ensues. Finally, Ricky speaks again.

“The ski trip was supposed to be just us three, as a family,” he says, voice cracking. “I can’t remember the last time we did something like that.”

“And then what happened?” Nini prompts.

“They said they were getting better in couple’s therapy.” Ricky breathes out. “But it turns out Mom had already moved on with Todd, while here I was, thinking we could maybe be one happy family again.”

“Ricky, it isn’t your fault.”

“It kind of feels like it is,” he says bitterly. “Maybe they’d still be together if I was enough.”

“Ricky, no, you can’t say that,” Nini hurries to console him, disheartened at how lowly he apparently thinks of himself. Then, she has an idea. “You know what my go-to song for stuff like this is? I am, by James Arthur.”

“I thought I was supposed to be the one giving song recs.” Ricky smiles, despite himself. 

“Yeah, well,” Nini says. “You can pay me back.”

“When?” he asks.

Nini shrugs. “When the time comes, you’ll know.”

Sleep comes to him pretty quickly after that; they wake up past 1 and Ricky wouldn't trade Nini yelling, "Merry Christmas!" into his ear and dragging him by the hand to go play outside in the snow for anything in the world.

\--

_This week’s prompt is: We have now had a Black president, and several minority/female Congresspeople. Is this increased diversity actually beneficial, beyond the surface? Is it reflected in our policies? Why or why not?_

**_Nina Salazar-Roberts_ :** _Having more women and minorities in government is extremely important. For one thing, they tend to grow up with/around the people and places that US policies are affecting the most. For example, AOC is from the Bronx, which has experienced a lot of gentrification. So, she would contribute to a Congressional session from that viewpoint, which is rare. And Richard I know you’ll say some shit about how placing minorities in inherently oppressive spaces for the sake of surface diversity is dumb or whatever but I’m really not in the mood. So keep it to yourself._

_[Nina Salazar-Roberts has limited comments on this post]_

\--

Ricky slides into his usual seat at the library one cold February afternoon, expectantly looking forward to Nini’s film recommendation of the week. However, when he glances at the girl, he instantly knows something is wrong.

“Nini?” Ricky gently pokes her in concern. Nini lifts her head up, and Ricky can see unshed tears glistening in her eyes.

“EJ broke up with me.” Nini’s voice chokes on the end of the sentence, and for a second, Ricky can only feel white-hot rage towards his roommate. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, before she crumples in his arms, trembling. Wordlessly, he grabs her backpack along with his, and carries her out of the library and into an empty classroom. 

Nini’s still clinging onto him when he takes a seat at an empty table, so he lets her stay, crying wet tears onto his shirt.

Ricky places a gentle kiss on her head. “Lemonade Mouth.”

“What?” Nini looks up; it’s only then that Ricky realizes how close their mouths are. Hastily, he moves her out of his lap.

“Lemonade Mouth,” Ricky repeats, awkwardly clearing his throat. “It makes me happy every time I watch it, so I figured I’d pass it onto you. You know, as my pay back.”

“I’ve seen it,” Nini laughs, wiping away the last of her tears.

“Well, you can’t go wrong with watching it again,” Ricky points out, scooping her back up in his arms. “Let’s go.”

And despite her utter heartbreak, Nini’s heart brightens at the sight of the beautiful boy in front of her.

\--

“Can I use your laptop to print my paper? Mine died in the middle of class.”

“Haven’t you learned to bring a charger?” Nini tsks at him, but slides her laptop towards him anyway. 

Ricky rolls his eyes. “My bad for missing my alarm today. We can’t all be perfect like you.”

Nini aimlessly scrolls through Instagram for a few minutes while Ricky logs in to his account, before peering over his shoulder in curiosity.

“What’s the essay for?” she asks. 

“My government and politics class,” he answers. “The prompt was about social infrastructure.”

Nini gapes. “You’re in that class, too?”

“What do you mean?” Ricky is distracted as he hits the print button. Then, as her words sink in, he stills. “Wait. You’ve been in GovPol this whole time?”

“Yes!” Nini wants to laugh at the ridiculity of the situation. “There’s this one guy, he-”

Her eyes move back toward her laptop, where Ricky’s clicking the Sign Out button.

_Are you sure you want to sign out, Richard Wright?_ The message asks.

Nini’s insides go cold. 

“Your name is Richard Wright?” She speaks slowly.

“Yeah?” Ricky replies, oblivious to her abrupt change in demeanor. “Well, technically it’s Bowen-Wright, after both my parents. But I usually just go by Bowen.”

“You just couldn’t drop my point about the Constitution, could you?” she snaps. “Or the one about the military’s involvement in foreign countries?” 

Ricky’s eyes are wide in shock, and then narrow in realization. “ _You’re_ the annoying girl who wouldn’t shut up on the discussion board?” 

“You called my opinions stupid!” Nini all but shrieks.

“You made fun of my favorite movie!” Ricky argues.

"You kept trying to one up me!"

“And you just _had_ to go and fight me on anything I said.”

“Only because you completely missed my points!”

“Well, I-”

“You know what?” Nini shakes her head. She doesn’t even really know why she’s so worked up about this, but she continues. “I should’ve known, the way we always argue about everything. You just aren’t satisfied until you ruin someone’s day with your insufferable ego, are you?”

A genuine look of hurt flashes in Ricky’s eyes, and Nini immediately regrets her word vomit. But her blood is still boiling, so she quickly dumps her laptop into her bag and picks it up.

“Nini, I-”

“I’ll see you later.” And without looking back, she runs out the door.

\--

Ricky plays Taylor Swift songs on the radio the entire day, until someone finally calls in asking him to cut it out.

\--

_This week’s prompt is: How is capitalism intertwined with our government? How has it affected society? What are its negative and its positive effects?_

**_Nina Salazar-Roberts_ :** _Capitalism hinders government policymaking. The rich have the power to affect policies, and the government lets them because they also get money in the deal. For example, the NRA pays Congresspeople to be pro-gun, so they are. Also, billionaires can buy votes. Bill Gates spent millions of dollars to put a bill for charter schools back on the ballot even though Washington voters had shot it down three times, and eventually managed to get it passed._

**_Richard Wright_ :** _I agree. Capitalism is detrimental to policy making._

_**Nina Salazar-Roberts** : Cool._

_**Richard Wright** : Cool. _

**_Gina Porter_ :** _no "view 100+ replies?" that's a first. but also i kinda miss it can yall start arguing again please. this feels wrong :(_

\--

Nini and Ricky haven’t spoken in two weeks, and Nini hates herself for it. She should at least text Ricky, ask him if they can talk, but every time she tries she ends up just staring at their previous texts for an inordinate amount of time, feeling guilty all over again.

The thing is, Nini knows Ricky hadn’t really meant anything out of it. After all, she had fought back with an equal amount of fervor. In fact, when she really thought about it, it was kind of hilarious how almost a whole year had passed without them knowing each other’s full names - her only going by Nini Salazar on social media thanks to her moms’ insistence on “being safe on the Internet,” Ricky with a hybrid last name he doesn’t like. The things they _do_ know about each other are, frankly, worth more than a silly name or a silly online discussion - Nini knows that now.

A knock on the door jolts her out of her reverie, and Nini reluctantly gets up from the couch to check who it is. Peering through the peephole, her mouth drops in surprise.

“EJ?” she says incredulously, unlocking the door and letting him in. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey, Nini.” They haven’t seen each other since the break up, aside from some awkward film club meetings. Nini had resented him initially for breaking her heart, but she realizes now the reason she had moved on so fast was -

“Can we talk?” EJ interrupts her epiphany.

“About what?” Nini crosses her arms defensively.

“Ricky.”

“Oh, god,” Nini groans. “Did he send you here?”

“What? No,” EJ responds. “He has no idea that I’m here.”

“Then why do you want to talk about him?” Nini asks.

“Listen, I don’t know what happened between you two,” EJ says, “but he’s been...moping for the past two weeks. He’s shut up in his room all the time, and barely talks to anyone.”

“Why do you think I had something to do with it?” 

“Because he’s always happy when he’s around you,” EJ says simply. 

Nini blinks, the guilt rushing back at all once. “EJ, I-”

“Do you know why I broke up with you?” EJ interrupts. “Because you might not have realized it back then, but I saw it. You made him happy, but he-” EJ takes a deep breath. “He made you happy, too. Happier than you’d ever been around me.”

“I don’t - ” Nini cuts herself off, unsure how to respond.

“Just talk to him,” EJ says gently. “Whatever it is, he’ll forgive you.”

Nini wishes she could believe that.

\--

_**Ashlyn Caswell** : ok seriously it's been 3 weeks since nina and richard picked an argument can we stage an intervention or something_

\--

It’s only fitting, Nini thinks, that the first time she sees Ricky in three weeks is when they collide into each other at the library.

“Sorry, I - ” she looks up to meet his eyes. “Oh. Hi.”

“Hi,” Ricky says warily. 

“Can we talk?” Nini prepares to bite the bullet. Ricky nods, and he follows her out the library and into the number garden that’s just across the building. 

“Listen,” she begins, awkwardly fiddling with the zipper on her jacket, “I want to apologize for what I said three weeks ago. Yeah, I thought it was annoying how you kept replying to my posts, but it’s not like I wasn’t encouraging it and fighting back. So, I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too,” Ricky’s shoulders sag. “Some of the things I said on that discussion board were out of line. I don't think your opinions are stupid, even if I disagreed with some of them.”

Nini smiles slightly. “I don't think your opinions are stupid, either,” she tells him. “We may not see eye to eye on, well, anything, but I do like listening to what you have to say.”

“Me too.” Ricky returns her smile, and Nini feels like a weight has been lifted off her chest. She takes a seat on the bench, and Ricky follows suit.

“EJ actually asked me to talk to you,” Nini admits. “I mean, I was planning to apologize anyway, but he came to my apartment and said you were moping.”

Ricky suddenly looks worried. “Did he say anything else?”

“No?” Nini says, noticing Ricky’s abrupt change in expression and feeling like she’s missing something. “Well, he did say something about how I made you happy. For the record, you make me happy too.” She nudges him gently. 

“Yeah, but-” Ricky runs a hand through his hair in agitation. “EJ didn’t mean it in that way.”

“What?” Nini’s never been more confused. 

Ricky laughs, but it’s a choked sort of sound. “It means that you’re the only person who can make me happy the way you do. I like you, Nini. I like how you give me movie recs and I give you song recs and that it’s our thing. I like how you’re the only one who can get me to listen to an entire Taylor Swift album and actually enjoy it. I like how you listen to me when I talk about my parents and tell me it’s gonna be okay. I even like how you argue with me, because at the end of the day, despite our differences, you still choose to stick around.”

Nini sits in stunned silence at Ricky’s speech. His eyes are watering a little, but he’s determinedly meeting her gaze. 

After a few moments of silence, Nini manages to find her voice. “That was so romantic. I feel like we’re in a rom-com or something.”

“Yeah, well,” Ricky blushes furiously, “you deserve to have romantic speeches said at you forever. And it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, I just -”

Without a word, Nini moves her hands to cup Ricky’s face, and then they’re kissing. She's actually kissing him, god, and Ricky kisses right back. She’s pressed up against Ricky, digging her fingers into his hair, heating up from his touch, and it’s incredible. They part for air once, briefly, and then knock their foreheads together, breathing heavily. 

“Your heart’s beating really fast,” Nini mutters, and Ricky chuckles, tilting his head slightly. 

“Yeah? Tell me yours isn’t pounding.” He doesn’t wait for an answer, though—only closing the space between them once more, kissing Nini like it’s the only thing in the world he wants to do. If this is a dream, Nini thinks, she doesn’t want it to end.

\--

_You did it - we’re at the last prompt for this class! What did you think of this class? What are some discussions that stick out in your mind? Overall, what did you get out of it?_

**_Richard Wright_ :** _I really enjoyed this class! I had a lot of discussions that really opened my eyes to different perspectives._

**_Nina Salazar-Roberts_ : ** _it’s okay Richard you can say you had a lot of discussions with me <3 _

**_Richard Wright_ :** _fight me roberts_

**_Nina Salazar-Roberts_ :** _square up bowen. Meet me in our usual spot_

**_Richard Wright_ :** _and then a dcom watch party after?_

**_Nina Salazar-Roberts_ :** _then a dcom watch party after :D_

**_Ashlyn Caswell_ :** _...ma’am this is a wendy’s_

**Author's Note:**

> in no particular order, all the songs and films referenced (which i think you should all check out btw but it's just my personal taste)  
> -lemonade mouth (2011)  
> -pitch perfect (2012)  
> -okja (2017)  
> -i am by james arthur  
> -say by ruel  
> -home alone (1990)  
> -all i want for christmas is you by mariah carey  
> -last christmas by wham!  
> -brooklyn in the summer by aloe blacc  
> -death by a thousand cuts by taylor swift  
> -new year's day by taylor swift  
> -captain america the winter soldier (2014)  
> -spider-man: into the spiderverse (2018)  
> -spider-man (2002)
> 
> and just for you, sabrina:  
> -the west wing (NBC show)


End file.
